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Layla nervously knocked on the door of the control room. She didn’t want to disturb if the band were in the middle of something. The door opened and she walked in to find 6 men sat around, seemingly having a very lively discussion.
“Hello” one of them, tall and dark and handsome, said.
“Hello. I’m Layla. I work here, I’m basically here to get you anything you need, coffee runs, bits of paper, instruments if you so require. I’m your own personal general dogsbody” She said. The men smiled at her.
“Fantastic. I’m Brett, and this is Mat, Neil, Simon, Richard, and our producer Alan” the tall, dark, and handsome one said. Layla looked around and took in each of the men individually. Her eyes fell on Richard last, and she could hardly take her eyes off him.
“Very nice to meet you all. I also brought you a homemade cake, start off on the right foot and all that” she said, placing a tin down on a free bit of desk. The group made noises of appreciation, and moved up so she could sit down on the sofa with Neil and Richard. The cake was shared around with tea made in the corner of the room, one of Layla’s jobs from now on, and Layla smiled as the cake was quickly devoured.
“You’ll be the death of me. I’m meant to be on a diet but if you keep making cake like that…” Richard whispered, leaning over to her. Layla laughed and smiled at him, completely oblivious to the looks from the rest of the band. They had to admit they were surprised. The girls normally fell for Brett, not Richard.
The band continued recording and Layla sat and listened quietly in the corner, making tea every now and then. She was never normally nervous with a new band. It was part of her job and she was normally very outgoing and opinionated. This time was different, for some reason. Perhaps it was the fact that she found somebody genuinely (rather than just aesthetically) attractive, and they seemed to be lovely and like they wouldn’t break her heart, or if they did they’d be lovely about it. She hardly knew what to do with herself. She was broken from her haze by Richard sitting down next to her.
“You alright?” He asked, smiling gently at her. She felt like she might melt.
“Sorry, bit of a space cadet” She replied, smiling back.
“That’s okay, I’m a space cadet too sometimes. You okay?”
“Yeah, yeah fine”
“You sure?” Richard asked. He already had great affection for the woman sat in the corner of their control room, and wanted to make sure she was comfortable and happy and that the rest of the band weren’t scaring her.
“Yes, I am, thanks Richard. Nobody’s ever really asked that before, that’s all”
“Really?”
“I’m like a victorian child, seen but not heard” She joked, and Richard burst out laughing, despite the joke not being that funny. The pair of them sat in the corner giggling until they noticed the rest of the band staring. Richard got up to help them with something, but not before he gently rested his hand on her shoulder, like Trevor Howard in Brief Encounter. Richard glanced back at her from the control desk quickly and subtly, before getting on with whatever Brett or Mat or whoever wanted.
After a few hours, and a few more cups of tea, Richard and Layla found themselves the only ones left in the studio as the others went for lunch.
“What do you think of it so far?” Richard asked, fingers lightly strumming over his guitar strings.
“I think it’s fantastic” Layla replied, leaning in to see what he was playing. As she did, he began to carefully pluck out a riff - Eric Clapton’s ‘Layla’. It melted her heart. She loved that song. She was named after it. She began to sing gently as he played the song.
What'll you do when you get lonely
And nobody's waiting by your side?
You've been running and hiding much too long.
You know it's just your foolish pride.
Layla, you've got me on my knees.
Layla, I'm begging, darling please.
Layla, darling won't you ease my worried mind.
Richard placed his guitar down in the stand and did the only thing he could think of. He leant forward and kissed Layla gently. He was delighted when she reciprocated, arms making their way around his neck, pulling him closer. His hands grabbed her hips and pulled her so she was straddling his lap, hands making their way to Richard’s hair. Their lips moulded together, like it was meant to be, mapping out each other’s mouths and bodies as they settled into a rhythm. They stayed there for god knows how long. They were only disturbed when the rest of the band returned from lunch, and found Richard and Layla laying on the sofa, in each other’s arms.
Brett coughed to alert them of their presence.
“Having a nice time?” He quipped as he sat back down at the desk.
Richard and Layla sat up, blushing profusely.
“Yes, we were actually” Layla replied, putting the kettle on for another cup of tea as Richard laid his arm around her shoulders.
The band began to discuss something, and Richard saw his opportunity. He leant in towards Layla.
“Dinner tonight? My place?” He whispered, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
“I’d love to” she replied, turning round. She kissed him gently as the rest of the band cheered and wolf whistled.
The baby of the band finally had a girlfriend, and she was a rocker like them.